What to do with last years Dahlias?

B_leaf

I have just returned to the garden for the first time this year. I grew some Dahlia's last year and with some help from you guys they came out lovely, however they are now obviously dead and standing dry.
Someone has mentioned that i could dig up the tubers from their pots and re-plant them in new compost pots and they'll come good again, is this possible and if so, is there a certain way to plant them?
Thanks in advance 

amancalledgeorge

You should have lifted them months ago, as they will start sprouting very soon, you can wait and see if they grow or whether they have rotted due to the wet conditions over the winter. It all depends where they were planted. If the dead stems are still in existence, feel free to cut them off, they must be an eye sore. 

B_leaf

Do you mean just leave them as they are and see if they sprout or examine and re plant?
Thanks again.

amancalledgeorge

I'd say leave them as if they're not rotten through they should have started growing. If you lift them you will damage them. Which is why usually they're lifted in the late autumn and stored away from the wet of the winter and then replanted in early spring. 

Busy-Lizzie

They shouldn't have been left outside in pots in the winter. 
Dig them up and see if they are plump and hard or squishy and rotten. If they are plump and hard they should still be alive and you can replant them in fresh compost. They should be protected in winter but if they are firm they may be hardy ones. If there is a frost when the new shoots are growing the shoots will probably die. But some recover and make more shoots. They hate being cold and wet in winter.

Nanny Beach

I went through years of digging them up, trying all sorts to keep them over winter, drying them, keeping them frost free, in sand in compost, and then discovered that none of my neighbours lift them at all.

B_leaf

So do i 

Many thanks @Busy-Lizzie

Busy-Lizzie

But @Nanny Beach you live near sunny Eastbourne and @B_leaf lives in Scotland.

Nollie

As soon as last year’s foliage died off at the end of the season last year -  usually it turns black with frost - you should cut the foliage down to a couple of inches and place the pots somewhere sheltered out of the rain. If you didn’t do that, you can cut those dead, dry stems (this is normal) down now. If the pots were left out all winter and are sodden, they may well have rotted. Other than that, just give them time, mine haven’t sprouted yet and I’m usually ahead of the UK.

Assuming they have survived, once they have sprouted, start watering lightly and when you have some decent growth, give them a feed and gradually increase the watering. Either a liquid feed or lightly work in some slow-release granules around the edges of the pot. You can top up the compost around the base a bit if it has dropped. After just one year, they shouldn’t have outgrown their pots unless the pots were pretty small to begin with.

B_leaf

Thanks again everyone, all good advice 

Nanny Beach

Ah, right, but I didn't always live here!! All the ones I carefully collected/dug up etc failed the following year